Sheff Wed V Wolverhampton at Hillsborough : Match Preview

18 January 2013 02:31

Sheffield Wednesday midfielders Jeremy Helan and David Prutton will both return to contention for the home clash with Wolves.

Helan, on loan from Manchester City, was ineligible for the midweek FA Cup replay defeat at MK Dons, while Prutton sat out the second game of his two-match ban.

However, manager Dave Jones has concerns over the fitness of winger Jermaine Johnson (back), who played as a central striker alongside Michail Antonio in last week's win at Hull, and midfielder Rhys McCabe, who was forced out of the same match and sidelined in midweek due to illness.

Fellow midfielder Giles Coke could return to the starting line-up after making his first league start of the season at the Tigers, while goalkeeper Chris Kirkland and defender Anthony Gardner are also likely to be back in the side as Wednesday look to widen the gap between themselves and the bottom three.

Dave Edwards, Tongo Doumbia and Bjorn Sigurdarson have each trained ahead of the trip but it remains to be seen whether they are fit enough for consideration.

Edwards has not played for seven weeks due to a hamstring injury while fellow midfielder Doumbia has missed the last three matches due to a similar complaint. Forward Sigurdarson, meanwhile, has been sidelined of late with a thigh problem.

Although the trio trained on Thursday as they bid to return to full fitness, manager Dean Saunders must decide whether they are ready to make his matchday 18 at Hillsborough.

Long-term absentee Stephen Hunt is another player not far off as he completes his lengthy recovery from a hip injury.